A Short Stay in the Country

So here I am, house-sitting. Outside, the rain is coming down like Noah forgot to turn off the taps. Across the valley, the mountains are shrouded in clouds.The birds have gone to ground or to bush would be a  more exact phrase. All I can hear is the sound of the washing machine in the utility room. I wore my white pants yesterday and managed to get them dirty when I checked the flowers to see what needed dead-heading. So it's a white wash today.
Being in the country has many attractions.  For one thing, there are far fewer distractions. Peace and quiet broken only by the chirping of the starlings as they feed their chicks in nests on the roof or simply watching the song thrush toddle about with its mother are all uplifting. Who can get into a tizz over something trivial when you've got Nature on your doorstep?
And I've read three books since I arrived here a fortnight ago. Most enjoyable book? Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty definitely. I had seen it in the bookshops but somehow thought it was one of those weepy novels which are not my cup of tea. Instead, I stayed up late reading it and was sorry when it finished. And yes, I know it is a series on HBO and they are doing a second series, although the novel is so complete in itself that I think trying to do a follow on is not a good idea. I don't intend to watch the first series, either. I much prefer to stick to reading novels and forming my own ideas of how people look and anyway, you can't get that atmosphere on to the screen. One of my favourite novels is To Kill a Mocking Bird. I recently watched the film with Gregory Peck and, quite frankly, it missed so much of the style of Harper Lee's story and of the atmosphere of the times which she so expertly depicted. But there, I'm getting on my hobby horse!
I should be writing. I did quite a bit yesterday but made the classic mistake of finishing one chapter and leaving a blank for this morning. The golden rule is, as many authors know, to stop in full flow so that you have something to continue next day. Hey-ho! I'd better stop here and try to get my mojo back on track.

Job Done or is it?

Finishing a novel when you've been working on it for so long, is always a bit of an anti-climax. Nearly every day, I do a bit of editing on what I have written the previous day. This is useful, as it keeps me from straying a bit - I have been known to start a novel in November and to have jumped by some strange miracle to the flowering month of May within a few pages. This is a warning sign to me that I still have to do a bit, well let's say a lot more work on the the setting - including the time of year!
There are writers who are so disciplined that they write out a synopsis of each chapter before they start the actual work of writing the story. I can only salute them. I start off with an idea and a character in my head. After a few weeks, the character will have been joined by other characters and the original idea will have been changed, fleshed out a bit, or completely readjusted. I can never get into the business of writing a plan for the whole novel. I know where and how it is going to end before I start. The journey, however, can twist and turn as characters take on a life of their own and pull me in different ways. That's the fun of writing!
Now that I have finished my final edit of A MAN CALLED GREGOR which I plan to self publish next month, I have just started thinking about a Christmas novel and looked over the beginning of the first chapter which I wrote last month. I'll probably change the plot a bit and possibly one of the characters might have to go as well. I know one thing for sure, it's not going to be the original story I had in my head! I'll have a short break from writing and then it's back to see what my characters are up to. Next week I'll be doing my annual house-sitting in the country, so I'll have loads of peace and quiet and country air to help me concentrate. Wish me luck!

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

I am ashamed to admit that I have not got around to writing a blog for such a long time. Not that I think you are all hanging on my every word! What can I say?
I came down with a bug following my visit to London and then when I had just got back on my feet wham! I picked up another one.
Today, the sun is shining and it is warm. The birds are getting quite giddy, singing at the top of their voices and working on their nests and on hatching eggs. It is amazing how Nature comes to life so quickly after the long cold winter.
The Easter Festival is almost here. I still remember that happy feeling on Easter Sunday when I went to early Mass. It felt like starting over again. Children actually enjoy going to church, seeing the candles being lit and hearing the hymns. We should give them the opportunity of attending a church service over the next few days.
Which brings me to the big debate in Ireland about how many chocolate Easter eggs children should eat, bearing in mind the amount of calories and the increase in obesity.
I don't have a magic answer. All I can say is that I think it is far better to do something together as a family and have this as a family Easter tradition than to start counting just how many Easter eggs a child should be given. Children really love doing things with their parents. I remember that when I worked full time, my children were delighted when we took time out to go on a trip and explore new places on a Sunday. It is the time you give your children, and indeed your parents and friends, which is the most precious gift you can bestow.
In our advertising-glutted world, we would all do well to remember that.

World Book Day

It's World Book Day as all book lovers will know. Today is the day I feel a teeny bit sorry for people who don't read. Even the best film adaptation in the world can't compare with a really good book. And the nice thing is that you can read them over and over again.
Whenever I feel in the need for something entertaining but gentle, I pick out a Jane Austen novel. Following a nasty bout of bronchitis, I needed a pick-me-up and I am currently reading Emma, even though I practically know it by heart. Highbury and its inhabitants still makes me smile. As a writer, I appreciate Jane Austen's grasp of human nature. Her stories are peopled with characters who are so true to life. The polite, kind-hearted Mr.Woodhouse with his "habits of gentle selfishness" is as believable as Miss Bates, who sees only the best in everybody. The character of Emma is often said to be the most rounded of the Jane Austen heroines: you can't help but like her despite all her blunders.
Be all that as it may, I enjoy the story for what it is and the fact that it is going to end happily for everybody.
I am currently editing a novel I wrote several years ago. The cover is now ready which is a spur for me to get a move on and finish it.

I am using my own name for this book. I write crime as P.B. Barry and romance as Peggy O'Mahony. My crime novels and my romance novels are all set in Ireland. A MAN CALLED GREGOR shifts between Dublin, London, Germany and Croatia. When her parents are killed in a traffic accident, Lauren's Uncle Gregor rescues her from a round of foster homes. He provides stability in her life.When he goes missing, she sets out to find him and in the process her life turns upside down.

I'm hoping to publish around Easter this year but I still have a lot of edits to do. I am revising the ending to the story - this is the tricky bit, I find, how to sort and tie up the strands of the story in a satisfactory way.

Incidentally, I have written one novel set in Germany under the name Peggie Biessmann:
SPATE OF VIOLENCE, which is the story of a family who move home and are caught up in the social problems of a town.

Time to get down to doing some of that editing. Happy World Book Day to readers everywhere.

London Trip

I spent two days in London last month on my way home from a family visit. I lived in London for a number of years until finally moving to Germany. I still call it my home town, though. I'm not sure of what the fascination is. It is a big city and yet there is something so endearingly parochial about it.
Paris or Berlin, on the other hand, are beautiful cities but they have a completely different atmosphere.
I love the little places in London where the tourists are not so thick on the ground. Where you can feel just how old this city is and how much history and human stories have taken place here.

One of my favourite places is the area around Temple. This little gem, almost unknown to the tourists, is well worth a visit. When you step into the complex, you are entering another world. It is the home of English law. There are signs at the entrance to most of the buildings giving a list of practicing barristers and solicitors. I almost expect to meet Charles Dickens strolling the streets.

The Temple Church built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters is a step way back into history. It is worth reading about it in the excellent BBC article:

bbc.com/travel/story/20160510-the-hidden-world-of-the-knights-templar

I also visited St. Clement Danes church, completed by Sir Christopher Wren, Brompton Oratory and Westminster Cathedral (not as old as the other churches but still impressive). By then I had seen  enough churches. For me, they represent the spirit of old London, of places where Samuel Pepys and Samuel Johnson, two of my favourite writers, went to worship. 

For old time's sake, I visited Harrods in Knightsbridge but here I found that luxury and wealth didn't do it for me, so I did not stay very long.  Next I went to South Bank in the hopes of finding the open air book market (much more like it, from my point of view). It was school half-term and there was a lot of hurdy-gurdy and no sign of the book market. Instead I paid a visit to Foyles and bought a book -  Volume I of Somerset-Maugham's short stories, if you want to know. Of course I could have got this for a third of the price somewhere else but, well, I fell in love with the new cover and anyway, you have to buy a book at Foyles, don't you?

The great thing about London is that you are never far from a park. I went to pay my respects to Hyde Park, near Harrods, and watch people feeding the birds.

When crossing the road on my way back, I was delighted to see the Horse Guards riding down the street. Beautiful horses with glossy black coats and riders with those scarlet uniforms! I remember when I worked somewhere near Chelsea that they used to ride out in the morning in the middle of the rush hour. I still remember the gleam on sunlight on brass buttons and bridle buckles.

What I had forgotten is that you do so much walking in London. By the end of each day I was exhausted and very ready to retire to my tourist hotel in Earls Court. I lived here for a few months many years ago. Earls Court itself has not lost its cosmopolitan atmosphere and yes, there is a little shop where you can buy all the essentials on your way home. Nice to see things have not changed that much.

Before I knew it, I was on the airplane home and I felt like I'd been away a month!  See you soon again, London.

Really, Karl? - Getting Some Perspective

This blog is going to be a rant of sorts, so if you're not feeling up to it, click away now.

The sad news of Karl Lagerfield's death was announced last week. He was certainly a talented designer, no question of that. One of the things about him mentioned in a potted obituary was that, aged about 4 years old, he requested a valet. Really, Karl?? His cat, Choupette is worth millions as is his estate.  Well done, Karl Lagerfeld.

I have to contrast this world of luxury, fashion and undoubted talent with, for example, Leyla Hussein, a leading campaigner against female genital mutilation (FMG) and all the work she does for this cause. She cares.

Take Emma Sky, a British Council employee, who volunteered to help rebuild Iraq and ended up governing a province. She became adviser to General Ray Odierno from 2007-2010. Her novel In a Time of Monsters: Travels through a Middle East in Revolt is out now (Atlantic). She also cares.

David Nott has just published his memoir War Doctor (Picador). He has spent over 25 years operating on victims in some of the worst war zones in the world with very few resources to help them or him, as a volunteer for the Red Cross and MSF (Medecins sans Frontieres). He is also an NHS consultant in London. He cares.

Having read articles on all of the above over the weekend, I had to sit down and ask myself how I would like to be remembered? I think you will have guessed the answer.

Best Sellers

I ordered two novels from the library because they got such good write-ups in the Press and endorsements from other novelists. I tried hard but I couldn't finish any of them even though the plot in both cases was intriguing.
For me, I have to be interested in the story's main character. It is not enough that they have a problem to solve, are in danger or part of an intricate spy plot. If a character doesn't gel with me, I can't muster up enough interest to finish the novel. In addition, I like well-written stories. Having said that, I have to admit that both of the above novels were well written. Both were translated but still managed to catch the authors' style. I take off my hat to the translators. Having worked as a free-lance myself many years ago, I know how difficult it is. But the stories themselves dragged on and on. In both books, I skipped several chapters, skimmed over the rest, and discovered that I had not missed much in the story. A disappointment all round.
As I am about to go on a short trip to the UK, including a visit to London, I did not want to start another long novel, so I went through my Eric Ambler collection and pulled out The Schirmer Inheritance. This is not one of his best known books but I have always enjoyed it. It is short (195 pages) and to the point and I am drawn to the main character, a somewhat naive young lawyer sent to Europe to find the heir to a huge fortune. It was written in 1953 and for that reason alone is a gem! It is hard for us to imagine that in those days, most communication was via letter and not telephone, and train was the favoured mode of transport.
Although often called a master spy story writer, in fact Ambler very often placed his main characters in a strange and difficult situation and had us all glued to our seats while they extricated themselves. He is still well worth a read today.
And I will have finished the book tonight before I leave for my UK trip.  I plan on visiting the book market on London's South Bank. Maybe I'll find some more gems there.